


Тише, Солдат.

by AssortedHeroes



Series: Heroes [3]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Ambiguous Relationships, Amnesiac Bucky Barnes, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Bucky Barnes-centric, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode: s01e19 The Only Light in the Darkness, F/M, Hopeful Ending, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Kissing, Platonic Romance, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Russian, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-05-02 01:13:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14533458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AssortedHeroes/pseuds/AssortedHeroes
Summary: "Can I have your full name?""I...I don't know...""You have a name. Say it."Barnes is more distressed every second. Kabra can see his lip quivering; she sends an amber glare at Koenig and moves to the machine."Sh...tише, Солдат..." His eyes are weak and watery, and that fragile light in them when he looks at her? It's fading.After S.H.I.E.L.D. falls, two ex-HYDRA operatives find their way to Providence. The resident agent insists on putting them both through orientation.(Written by G.)





	Тише, Солдат.

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place during episode 19 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Spoilers for the whole first season of the show, and for the entirety of CA:TWS. Possible spoilers for Civil War, but only in regards to how The Winder Soldier is activated. References to The 39 Clues, but nothing that shouldn't make sense.
> 
> For more context: S.H.I.E.L.D. has fallen. Nick Fury is presumed dead. Bucky Barnes has just barely broken free of mind control and is mentally doing terribly. There's secret S.H.I.E.L.D. bases out there, one of which is where this takes place.

"We are almost there. I promise. You can hold out, Солдат."

Two figures are stumbling through snowy Canadian wilderness, one leaning on the much smaller and slimmer other. The man's name is Barnes, though he doesn't know so. All he knows is that Jamie will get him to safety. Jamie, his sanctuary. He lets out a soft grunt. "It's cold..." 

Jamie nods and squeezes her companion's shoulder. "But warmth will come soon. It is not much farther." The woman's voice is still a cold Russian burr, but Barnes recognizes it less than he does his handlers', so it's safe. She's safe. "If you need...we can stop and rest." Barnes nods and sinks to the ground, and Jamie goes with him. He's heavy and she's no Black Widow. "There, now..." 

"Thank you..." Jamie's arms wind around him, chin atop his head, and he smiles against the olive skin of her neck. She's so warm. "You don't have to help me..." 

There's a gentle chuckle. "Солдат. I couldn't very well leave you..." 

"But going to these people...the, the spies...HYDRA was in them..." Almost protectively, his metal arm finds a place around her waist. 

"...not all of them..." She knows she shouldn't feel offended. Barnes isn't in his right mind, or any mind, really. Fractured. And that's why she's there: to pick up the pieces. 

She presses a kiss to the top of his head as he reaches into her knapsack with his free hand, pulls out a sandwich. He's going to try and feed her, bless him. Is her hunger that obvious? There's a shake of her head, one hand pressing his down, and he grunts. "You need it..."

"Not now. We're almost there, Солдат. It would be a waste..." 

They stay as they are for a long time. Then, without speaking, they stand together and keep on.

What looks like the turret of a tank sprouts from the ground. Jamie says her name. 

"You are not authorized for entry." 

She juts out her chin. "Nikolai Fury told me of this place. If he is not trustworthy, things are worse than expected. Please. This man," she nudges Barnes, "is in pain. I only want to hide him and heal him." 

A whirr. "Welcome, Jamie Kabra. We've been expecting you." 

She sighs, relieved, and starts helping Barnes inside. In the hallway, waiting, is a short, pudgy man. He holds his hand out, and there's a gun in his grip. The safety is off; Jamie tenses. The man is glaring. "You aren't welcome here." 

"Your director said I was." 

"What about him?" He motions to Barnes. 

"He is nothing to worry about. The Winter Soldier is not here." Jamie sighs again, this time, exasperated. "Even if he was loyal to HYDRA, he has no sense of where he is. How could he betray you?" 

Barnes shivers and presses his cheek to her shoulder. The other man squints, lowers one hand, glances behind himself. "You could be a spy. In fact, you're almost definitely one, _Vesper._ You can't fool me, you're a known HYDRA operative." 

She snarls. "Kabra! My name is Kabra!" The outburst startles Barnes and she turns to stroke his cheek. "...my name is Kabra. The Vespers fell apart over twenty years ago." 

Another man jogs down the corridor. He's Grant Ward, and Kabra can't help wondering why the other agent is so adamant on keeping her out. Ward is the most dangerous. His eyes travel up and down the new visitors, then harden. "Koenig. What is this?" 

"She says--"

"I can speak for myself, Agent Koenig." She looks at Ward. "He needs to rest. I could think of no place else he could where he'd be hidden." She knows that Ward is untrustworthy in the long run, but right here, right now, S.H.I.E.L.D. will believe him, and he doesn't yet know she's defected. That she defected long ago. 

The wheels in Ward's head are turning. "...looking at the state he's in, I'd say it's pretty likely she's telling the truth. I've met this woman before. Been in some shady things, but she isn't a bad egg. And after D.C., maybe...maybe whatever hold HYDRA had on Barnes is gone. Shaken, at least." 

_Thank God._

Koenig frowns, looking back and forth. "...we'll put them both through orientation just like we did your team, Ward. If there's no _discrepancies,_ okay, we'll trust them. Fair?"

"Hold on, he needs immediate medical attention--" 

"It's fine. Whatever...whatever you gotta do..." Barnes' voice is quiet, unsure, but he's trying his best. "I just...wanna sleep." 

Ward gives Koenig a pointed glare - that doesn't sound like a killer, does it? - but the agent stands his ground. Ward gives a sigh and moves to press a button on the wall. The door shuts. 

Barnes looks sickly in the fluorescent light. "Jamie..." 

She murmurs reassurance, then tilts her head upward. As Ward wanders back to wherever he came from, Koenig leads the pair into a dark room with flashing monitors and an apparent torture chair. "You first, _Kabra."_

Before he can touch her, Kabra moves forward and sits all by herself. "Do what you must. I have nothing to hide, unless it will endanger my family." Barnes starts, exhales sharply, but seems to smile a little.

It takes a moment for Koenig to hook her in. He's pointing his gun at her even when he moves behind the monitors. "Please state your full name." 

"The only certainty is that my first name, my given name, is Jamie," she begins. "Growing up I was known as Jamie Vesper, but I doubt that is my legal name. My mother - Isabel - her name was Kabra. I would prefer to be known as Jamie Kabra because of that, and because I want no more ties to HYDRA and the Vespers." That's the simple truth, to her. She doesn't know what her legal name is. She doesn't even know if it's her or Ian that was the bastard child, only that they don't share a father." 

"Where did you grow up?" 

"I cannot be entirely sure. Somewhere in Siberia, for the most part. Where...the Asset was kept as well." 

"What knowledge did you have about Project Insight?" 

"I knew it was happening. It involved tricking S.H.I.E.L.D. It meant to scare the people, so they would give up control to HYDRA." 

"The Winter Soldier Project?" 

"It started before I was born. I read the files. The history. I was taught how to control it." 

"And do you have any intention of using that control to attack anyone?" 

Kabra scoffs. "He has only just broken free. His mind is weak enough that if I wanted, I could do it in an instant...but no. I have no desire to take someone's freedom when I am so close to finding my own." 

"Did you know that HYDRA was inside S.H.I.E.L.D.?" 

"Of course. I always knew." 

"You say you've spoken to Nick Fury. He told you where to find this place." 

"He did. We met...six years ago, I believe. He was sympathetic to my situation." 

"Situation?" 

"I was raised to be an assassin. Like your Agent Romanoff, I suppose. My mother taught me HYDRA's ways, the Vespers' ways, how people could not be trusted with their own freedom. I followed orders. I didn't know any better." A deep breath. "When I was sixteen, the Vespers had a machine almost complete. It could disrupt Earth's natural ways - weather patterns, magnetic fields, fault lines. A group of relatives, some distant, some not so, were trying to stop it. One of them was my younger sister. She tried to hit the machine, but it killed her. In response, my mother decided to sacrifice herself to destroy the thing forever. That day was...the first time I questioned whether I was doing the right thing." 

"Why didn't you leave then?" 

"It does not work that way. In HYDRA, you obey, or you die. My brother, Ian, works with S.H.I.E.L.D. on occasion. He is a mutual friend of Fury and I, you could say. He arranged a meeting, and I took my chance to confide in someone who could help. Clearly it did not go as well as one would think." 

Koenig's lips are pressed in a firm line. He doesn't want to believe her, but the lie detector doesn't lie. "You mentioned relatives. How did they know about the Vespers when hardly anyone else did?" 

Kabra smiles. "For a very long time, that family has been working behind the scenes for the world. Through my mother I am related to a great many people who have shaped it. As of now, they work as their own spy organization. Occasionally, an outsider is allowed to know more and join, but you do not happen to be among them. My apologies." 

"Endangering them. Right." His eyes flicker to Barnes. "Why were you two together?" 

"I found him after the attack. Dazed. Confused. I think, he may have recognized me. Either way, I found it pitiful. I wanted to help, so I took him in." 

"Why bring him to a S.H.I.E.L.D. base?" 

"He needs to remain hidden from the world, but he needs medical attention as well. As you may have noticed his mind is in a terrible state. I thought that a place like this would both be safe and have some equipment that could help." 

"One more question. You sound sympathetic enough to S.H.I.E.L.D. Why?" 

That one needs a moment of thinking. "...I can't say for certain. S.H.I.E.L.D. is not a place I would like to be, especially now. I know that you are fighting HYDRA. but there are still moles among you. HYDRA's spies. I can't say that honestly, I would like to join. I never did. However...I understand that as a whole, S.H.I.E.L.D. is not bad. Fury is not bad. The goal is truly to keep the world safe, and I can...get behind that, as they say." 

A long moment passes before Koenig nods and frees her. "Fine. You're okay. It's his turn now." 

"Be careful." Kabra stands and rubs her wrists. "He does not trust you. It may be safer if I strap him in." 

As Barnes walks over, Koenig nods once more and allows it. It isn't going to go well regardless, because he doesn't trust the agent, because all his instincts are telling him to run and fight. He's already stressed enough. He bites his lip.

"Can I have your full name?" 

"I...I don't know..." 

"You have a name. Say it." 

Barnes is more distressed every second. Kabra can see his lip quivering; she sends an amber glare at Koenig and moves to the machine. 

"Sh...tише, Солдат..." His eyes are weak and watery, and that fragile light in them when he looks at her? It's fading.

"I-I can't...tell him...please tell him I...can't..." 

She strokes his cheek, shushes him again. "You can...I know you are capable...just do your best, alright..?" 

Barnes' breath is shaky. "...my name...Bucky. Buck...Bucky...Barnes..?" 

It seems to be enough for Koenig. "Why are you with this woman?" 

"...she said she wanted to...help me. I...I know she's not like them...she didn't...do anything then..." 

"She wasn't with you while you were with HYDRA?" 

"I...I don't think so...I don't...remember her..." 

"If you were with other members, you'd know." 

"Feel like I would..." 

"Do you know where you are?"

"Somewhere...somewhere with S.H.I.E.L.D....?" 

"Correct. How are you feeling right now? Scared?" 

Barnes only nods. 

"If you tell the truth, you won't need to be." 

"Am I lying...?" 

"You might be. Your heart rate is extremely elevated. But it might just be that you're nervous. Try to relax, and tell me how you broke out of your...brainwashing. Programming." 

"...I saw Steve. And he said something...and that snapped me out of it." 

"Are you out for good?" 

"N-no...if someone...if one of them knows how to...I might..." 

Koenig seems to be contemplating something. Eventually, he sighs and turns off the machine. "No lies. Both of you are telling the truth as far as it can tell, and this thing was designed to beat Romanoff." 

Kabra frees Barnes with a gentle, warm smile just for him. He smiles back. Kabra takes his hand. "Where should we go? I assume there are other agents here." 

"Just one right now. She and Ward are working on something. I'll take you somewhere private." Which he does; the room is spacious and warm, surprisingly, and the door locks from the inside. There's a bunk bed, a coffee table, and a desk complete with a laptop. 

Kabra thinks it's perfect. She lets Barnes settle on the bottom bunk and turns to Koenig. "How long can we stay?"

"Until we're invaded. Unless I end up dying first, in which case...it's your call." 

"Thank you. Thank you for this, Agent Koenig." 

"...my name is Eric." And he leaves. 

Barnes is staring when she turns around. The puppy eyes are in full effect. "Oh, what?" 

"I...I'm just thinking about...how much you're doing for me. And I don't think I'm...worth that."

"Of course you're worth it..." Jamie sits next to him, takes his metal hand in her own. She presses a kiss to the palm. "You didn't deserve any of this..."

Barnes seems to hesitate, and then, he sets his right hand on the back of her neck and pulls their lips together. At first she's surprised - of all the things, why a kiss? But then she realizes that it's just an impulse, and maybe he does love her but that's not why he's doing this. He just doesn't have any other way to express what he's feeling. Gratitude. 

He lets her go and mutters an apology, but Jamie shakes her head. "It's all right. I did not mind..." 

He's smiling like a little dork. "Good to hear...I'd hate to upset...someone like you." 

"Because I'm a precious ray of sunshine?" 

"Because you're terrifying when you're angry." 

They sit in silence for a few minutes, until Jamie decides to lay down with him. It's almost natural when he turns on his side and she sets an arm over him. Metal and flesh fingers twine together. 

_There's hope. He can recover._ Jamie finds herself thinking it over and over while Barnes falls asleep to an old Russian lullaby she's humming, and in her humble opinion, the world is a little less dark and dreary. 

**Author's Note:**

> The title (Tише, Солдат) is Russian for "Hush, Soldier," if you were wondering.


End file.
